Medicare Part A

In a recent notice, the Internal Revenue Service has tempered prior guidance that closed the door on employer arrangements for paying the cost of individual health insurance for employees. The IRS still views these premium...more

The Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services(“OIG”) responded to concerns expressed by the American Hospital Association (“AHA”) regarding the OIG’s hospital compliance reviews,...more

On Friday October 31, 2014, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) released its annual “Work Plan” for fiscal year 2015. The Work Plan is a compilation of the OIG’s plans for...more

This week a federal district court in Ohio ruled in favor of Mobilex USA (Mobilex), the country’s largest mobile medical imaging company, on a motion for summary judgment in a False Claims Act (FCA) suit filed by a former...more

On June 25, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that it had settled with Omnicare Inc. in two matters alleging that kickbacks resulted from below-cost discounts offered to skilled nursing homes as an inducement to select...more

On April 30, 2014, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) issued a proposed rule to update payment policies and rates for inpatient hospitals (the “Proposed Rule”) that includes a provision with significant...more

The rulemaking process often accommodates a variety of interests, including the preference of regulatory agencies to maintain some flexibility and the rights of interested parties to participate in the regulatory process. On...more

Recently, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (the “OIG”) released its work plan for 2014. The work plan provides stakeholders in the health care industry with a broad overview of the...more

On February 20, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released Advisory Opinion 14-02, concerning the use of preferred hospital networks as part of certain Medicare Supplemental...more

On February 12, 2014, the Office of Medicare Hearings and Appeals (OMHA) held a “Medicare Appellant Forum” in Washington, DC. The event was well-attended, with 300 people signed up to be present in-person, and 500 who signed...more

As 2013 draws to a close, we are pleased to look back on the year that was and highlight some of the key developments in the ever-changing field of health law. While a great deal of attention was focused on the implementation...more

The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released a study on November 17, 2013 studying 2011 hospitalization statistics for Medicare nursing home residents. The report finds that one quarter of Medicare nursing home...more

On October 28, 2013, CMS announced that Medicare beneficiaries are realizing significant out-of-pocket savings as a result of health care reform efforts. The savings are based on cumulative savings in the prescription drug...more

The HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) recently published the results of a study regarding the first level of the Medicare Parts A and B appeals process, or redeterminations, for years 2008 through 2012. The report...more

In This Issue:
- What Providers Should Know
- Requirements for Inpatient Admissions and Payment Under Medicare Part A
- New Rules Permitting Re-billing Under Medicare Part B for Denied Admissions
- New HAC...more

CMS issued guidance on September 26, 2013, regarding the implementation of the “Two-Midnight” rule addressed in the August 2013 Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) final rule. Under the Two-Midnight rule, patient...more

Under CMS’s modified inpatient admission guidelines adopted in the IPPS Final Rule, Part A payment is “generally inappropriate” unless the patient is admitted based on the physician’s expectation that the patient will require...more

On August 2, 2013, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued an advance copy of its final rulemaking that adopts a new approach to evaluating the medical necessity of inpatient hospital admissions. ...more

King & Spalding recently hosted a Roundtable Webinar focused on CMS Ruling 1455-R and Proposed Rule 1455-P. Both of these developments are of great interest to the healthcare industry because they have a significant impact on...more

Recovery Audit Contractors (“RACs”) and other Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) contractors are charged with identifying overpayments made by Medicare to healthcare providers. However, with the increase in RAC...more

On March 13, 2013, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a ruling contrary to its traditional billing policy regarding payment of Part B inpatient services following denial of a Part A claim. Ruling...more